1. What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before?
I ran ten miles all in one go. But mostly: I wrote a thesis. I successfully defended it in my viva and once I do minor corrections next year, I will have a PhD in Neuroscience.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I wrote my thesis! I finished it! It was hard work, horrible, and that was great.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope! I wants to play with babies. But I support people not dying.
5. What countries did you visit?
I think all we did was go to Scotland. Which, despite its best efforts, is only sort of a different country. Not much travelling!
6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?
I’d like a job and some stability. This year was a mad dash to finish my thesis, followed by about two months of knitting and Netflix, then a mad dash to the viva. I want my work and free time to be a bit better balanced. Also I want to go on a proper holiday for the first time in four years.
7. What date from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
30th of September, which was my thesis submission deadline. 19th December, which was the date of my viva.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Mostly completing a PhD. It is the biggest achievement of my life. I’m so proud of it.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I wasn’t all sweetness and light on the road to getting this done, I didn’t keep up with people, I was hard to contact, and I was flakey about plans. I’m not too sorry about it though, because I finished my PhD.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Mental health like woah, but aside from a couple of colds, I’ve been far healthier than I might have deserved this year.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Unsure! The best new thing I got was my phone, but that was a present from my darlingest loveliest Rob. The ticket to “Shitfaced Shakespeare” was also worth every penny, as was seeing “Margaret Thatcher, Queen of Soho”. No money spent on a pint with a friend is wasted.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Rob. He survived the year in which I payed him back with interest for every day that he’s been stressed over work. I’m so grateful for all that he’s done to keep me going this year, for the midnight proof reading of my thesis, for putting in cups of tea and then backing away slowly, for not hating me when I’m a giant cunt. He is literally the best thing in my world, ever. He also got an OBE. I’m so, so, proud of him.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
One friend got put in the category of ‘you lie and manipulate too much for it to be safe to be friends with you,’ which was a shame. I really liked her.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Into a savings account for me to spend now whilst I’m waiting to get a job.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Submitting my thesis. Passing my viva.
16. What song will always remind you of 2014?
Fun facts: Rob’s computer, having the better speakers, is the source of all music in the house, so mostly my song of the year is his song of the year. That said, like every other person on the planet, ‘Let It Go’ has featured heavily in my life this year. I saw Frozen for the first time with my friends L and M and we had a great time, later M and I went out clubbing and at 2am, there was just us on the dance floor dancing to this. We also became thoroughly enamoured of a bar which plays only show tunes, and there is something glorious about a whole bar losing its collective shit and singing along to a Disney song.
Also ‘Mame’ from ‘Mame’. Because the showtunes bar played it at 3am once, and M’s little eyes lit up, and he has been inexplicably enamoured of it ever since. Silence falls, and then… ‘Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame!’.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?
Happier, I think. Because I’m fucking DONE. I’m not entirely recovered, but I breathe so much easier.
ii. thinner or fatter?
A mite fatter. I stopped running in August and started eating all the chocolate, and then I couldn’t really start up running again. I’m not hugely worried. I feel like my eating is mostly under control, which is half the battle.
iii. richer or poorer?
Poorer, but only because I am tragically unemployed. Job soon, hopefully.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Running, in the later half of the year. Other than that, I wish my thesis writing process had allowed me to see people more, but it didn’t.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
I find it really hard to regret anything about this year. I got to the end of it and I got my PhD. Maybe I shouldn’t have watched as many TV shows, played as many games of 2048, maybe I shouldn’t have knitted as much, maybe I shouldn’t have spent as much time in the pub. I enjoyed it, I finished my thesis. I think I did alright.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
At my parent’s house. It was a bit stressful- got better when the presents were over. My grandma expresses her affection via the volume of presents. She is not a well off lady. She is not massively over-possessed of good taste. I got a lot of cheap crap. I appreciate the intent, but I find the reality of it incredibly difficult to deal with. All my grandparents are getting older, and are staring at their own mortality, which is tragic for everyone. Plus, nobody was really ready to think a out Christmas this year, as our work had all been crazy up until the last minute, which meant my mother was stressed, my sister was acting as an enforcer for her, and all this stressed my dad and me out.
21. Did you fall in love in 2014?
Still with the Robbles!
22. How many one-night stands?
I should change this question! Even if I wasn’t in a monogamous relationship, I think I’m at an age when it would be in poor taste to answer this question. (So, yeah, it’s still none!)
23. What was your favorite TV program?
HAHAHAHAHA. Hannibal. I seriously love it like burning. I really liked Faking It, but Hannibal. It’s pretty much the best thing ever and you should watch it and love it and buy it and mass produce it.
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
There are people who I could be bothered with last year, that I really can’t be bothered with now. It’s not hate, but it’s as close as I can get whilst not giving a fuck.
25. What was the best book you read?
All I’ve managed to read was ‘Longbourne’ by Jo Baker, which was a very good book about the servants in Pride and Prejudice, and ‘A Great And Terrible Beauty’ by Libba Bray, and both were very good books.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
A lot of Post-Modern Jukebox! They’re a great youtube channel which covers songs in a variety of vintage styles and they’re the best. Also, I have started to appreciate Taylor Swift and I don’t feel good about this.
27. What did you want and get?
A PhD. Also, I got an iPhone. :>
28. What did you want and not get?
A job. I keeps trying though!
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Frozen was preeeetty good. I really liked Guardians of the Galaxy. I watched a lot of terrible films on Netflix. I’ve largely been about the terrible films this year.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I actually don’t remember! I was 28. I don’t remember what I did, but Rob was away, and I think I did something with work people. Probably M. I know he and I went to the London Dungeon around that time. This is the trouble with not blogging. I don’t know what I did!
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
My year was so satisfying. Maybe being less podgy? Honestly, I had a pretty good year.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?
Exactly the same as last year. I didn’t do any clothes shopping. I barely wore clothes over the summer. I was largely in pyjamas.
33. What kept you sane?
Hah. I didn’t stay sane, but running, Rob, and M all contributed.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I’ve had a pretty asexual year, to be honest. I will say that Matt Bomer is very very pretty.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
So here’s the thing: I don’t understand why anyone in the whole world would want to leave the European Convention on Human Rights and replace it with a British bill of rights. I don’t. I don’t understand why you want the government to be the ultimate authority on what the government can do. I definitely don’t understand how you can vote for someone who has specifically said that he wants to remove human rights from specific segments of the population (i.e. travellers.). I don’t get it and the fact that it is even an issue makes me incredibly angry.
36. Who did you miss?
My parents! I’m terrible person who was very busy all year and hardly saw them. I miss all of you, really, and as soon as I regain my mental health, I will be all about hanging out with you. (I’m still a touch fragile.)
37. Who was the best new person you met?
Meeting people? As in, leaving the house? What exactly do you think I’ve been doing this year? (I quite like the new PhD student in M’s lab. He’s alright. He can stay.)
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014:
Put your own oxygen mask on first before helping others with theirs.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Don’t let them in,
Don’t let them see,
Be the good girl, you always have to be,
Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know,
But now they know, Let it go! Let it go!
So there you go! :D That's me. That's how I'm doing. Not too badly. I hope to see you all more next year, and we should definitely arrange to do things. You should come visit me, too. I'm pretty excited about next year, because I'm done with uni. Wooooooooo!
How you doing?
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