End of Year/Start of Year Meme

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1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?

Travelled on a sleeper train – two, in fact, one from Paris to Irun and the other from Tangier to Marrakech – the (in)famous Marrakech Express. And visited a desert, and slept under canvas in a desert.

Got divorced.

 

2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t think I made any.

 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No, for a change.

 

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No one close to me.

 

5. What countries did you visit?

England, France, Spain, Morocco, Ireland, Germany.

 

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

Blood sugar levels persistently below 7%

 

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

July 18^th, unblinkered’s birthday, because I spent part of it on a plinth in Trafalgar Square.

 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Holding down a contract job in the worst recession since the War?

 

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not keeping my blood sugar below 7%

 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Not much – my Type 2 Diabetes needs to be better controlled, though.

 

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Tickets to Morocco.

 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Gordon Brown, for picking a financial course and sticking to it, when it would have been a hell of a lot easier just to throw the whole thing in. He saved hundreds of thousands of jobs, which made a huge difference to that many individuals, and their families. Not that he’ll ever get any credit for it.

 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

The health care industry in America, the Tories over here, and a whole lot of MPs who should have known better.

 

14. Where did most of your money go?

Mortgage, rent, car payments, poll tax.

 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Not enough! The plinth thing, holidays, the Glasgow North East bye-election.

 

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

The Low Anthem, Ticket Taker.

 

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Happier.

b) thinner or fatter? A little thinner.

c) richer or poorer? A little richer.

 

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

Saved more money – but it went to good causes

 

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

Working.

 

20. How did you spend Christmas?

In Germany, with three formidable generations of German women. And a glockenspiel.

 

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

Of course.

 

22. How many one-night stands?

Not a one.

 

23. What was your favorite TV program?

House, The Wire, Doctor Who.

 

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

I don’t hate anyone.

 

25. What was the best book you read?

Tricky.... I enjoyed Transition, and the new Brookmyre, and Unseen Academicals but I didn’t end any in tears this year.

 

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

The Low Anthem – saw them live at Oran Mor and fell in love.

 

27. What did you want and get?

A divorce.

 

28. What did you want and not get?

A clean break.

 

29. What was your favorite film of this year?

Um, Watchmen, Star Trek and Avatar were all great fun, but “In The Loop” was probably my favourite.

 

30. What did you do on your birthday?

Had a very nice dinner party.

 

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Peace in Iraq and Afghanistan. No, really.

 

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

Italian suits and Weird Fish tops. Though not at the same time.

 

33. What kept you sane?

Unblinkered, Merlin and Anna.

 

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

None of them.

 

35. What political issue stirred you the most?

The seemingly inexorable drift to a Tory government. And, as Gary Trudeau put it, a financial system which privatises profit and socialises risk.

 

36. Who did you miss?

Bill, Jim, and my boy.

 

37. Who was the best new person you met?

Can’t think of anyone, which is a bit depressing.

 

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

You can get what you want and still not be very happy. (see question 27)

 

 

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

 

To them ghosts that write history books

To them ghosts that write songs

Everyone asks would you write one about me

 

To them ghosts in the train yard

All them ghosts in my drink

Your money's no good here just write one about me

 

And when you go, where the winds are strong

When you go where flowers bend

Please take along all the best of my luck and come back unchanged

Your demons all tamed

Your flowers uncut

 

And when you go where the winds are strong

Where soldiers carve their stones

Please take along all the best of my luck and come back unchanged

Your demons all tamed

Your flowers uncut

 

 

"To the Ghosts that Write History Books"

The Low Anthem