(no subject)

[smokingboot]

This has been a dreamy Christmas, made perfect by snow and rest, except the tsunami disaster is on my mind. So, disturbed, unable to sleep or be constructive, I'll do this meme as a record of 2004. Can't imagine this being interesting to anyone else, so here comes the cut.


1.What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
Visit a spiritualist college

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
No. So I am limiting myself to one for 2005: Time Management

3.Did anyone close to you give birth?
Some friends had babies; one particular new arrival is expected very soon.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes.

5. What countries did you visit?
Scotland and Venice.


6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
Time
Money
More time
Sleep

*These are exactly the same things I wrote the last time I did this meme!

7. What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory?
14th February, a wonderful time at Windermere courtesy of my partner.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Facing the greatest fear I have and doing what was needed. Couldn't have done it without the ever magnificent larians as back up and best friend.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Extraordinary crapness around issues of time and work; not taking exhaustion seriously until, er, well, exhausted.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Sauron the mole of menace has recurred in my journal throughout the year. He has now been replaced by Aragorn the heroic scar. We still await the word on whether the mole was really a baddie, or whether the specialist just got over-excited.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Pets! The freaks and the moogs, who have brought me so much joy since their arrival in the house.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
There are so many friends that this could easily turn into the equivalent of a Gwyneth Paltrow oscar acceptance; suffice it to say that there are some people who have been wonderful through the low as well as the high points of this year, whose kindness I won't forget in a hurry - you know who you are! And of course, my partner for his amazing love and emotional support

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The disgusting behaviour around the play, 'Bhezti,' leading to cancellation of the run and threats on the playwright's life. Censorship through the threat of violence, the silencing of an individual's voice, the crushing of artistic expression, and the vindication of this as some kind of triumph for preservation of a community - I find this abhorrent and ugly.
First of all, I believe that any community so fragile as to be damaged by the voice of one individual is in deep trouble anyway, and secondly, I honestly don't believe it will help race relations, quite the reverse - it's a godsend to every far right-wing halfwit who bothers with 'reasons' for their views.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Eaten by life and my overdraft.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Venice, art and parties! Having purple hair.

16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
In the end - Linkin Park

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier
ii. thinner or fatter? Bit thinner (not at this very moment you understand!)
iii. richer or poorer? Little bit poorer...saving up you see.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Writing

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Feeling drained.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Blissed out, with snow, kittens, love and goose.

21. Did you fall in love in 2004?
larians has no rival in my heart at this time, except possibly Scotland.

23. How many one-night stands?
This one has lasted around 5/6 years now.

24. What was your favourite TV program?
Didn't watch much tv. Bit taken with Sharpe at the moment - didn't catch it the first time around.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.

26. What was the best book you read?
Memoirs of a Geisha ... was that this year? It's taken me ages to get round to reading it. And Paxton's 'The English.'

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Silence.

28. What did you want and get?
Kittens

29. What did you want and not get?
Siamese kittens


30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Big Fish...was that this year?

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 107. We tried to arrange a dawn picnic on the Cairngorms that didn't quite work because it was a) at dawn and b) a bit far away for our poor petrol starved car...much later we ended up on the beach at Findhorn, a magical time better described in my memories list than here.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not feeling so damned tired all the time.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2003?
Purple, with jeans

34. What kept you sane?
Sleepwalking

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
None. 2004 was a bumper moose year.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
See question 13

37. Who did you miss?
The London Pagan Scene

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Bizarre question. I didn't understand it last year, don't understand it this year, will edit it out next year.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004:
Organising your time and work only gives you more time for more work.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Bits of No-one knows by QOTSA will do:

We get some rules to follow
That and this
These and those
No one knows...


I journey through the desert
Of the mind
With no hope
I found low

I drift along the ocean
Dead lifeboats in the sun
And come undone

Pleasently caving in
I come undone

And I realize you’re mine
Indeed a fool am I
And I realize you’re mine
Indeed a fool am I
Ahhh

Heaven smiles above me
What a gift here below
But no one knows

The gift that you give to me
No one knows