freya

1. What did you do in 2016 that you'd never done before?

I lived with strangers! I graduated! I travelled for work! It's all actually been pretty good, too!

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

I didn't make any new years resolutions. This year, they're more of a vague resolve to sort myself out. To try to stay away from unhealthy eating habits and to just keep moving with things I've got to do.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Pip and Brendan had their baby boy, and I totally feel like I get to take responsibility for this, because I introduced them. :D

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Fortunately not, although my grandparents are definitely reminding me of their mortality more and more.

5. What countries did you visit?

Scotland and FRANCE! OMG YES. We went on holiday and it was fun, and relaxing, and amazing and great. I got heat exhaustion, but apart from that, we had so much fun and saw so many lovely things. Neither of us have had a proper holiday in years, so that was super nice to do.

6. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?

I'd really like to live with Rob again. The weekly commute is a bitch, and though everything about the situation is as good as it can be, it leaves me feeling like I have no time for anything, and doing anything on a weekend means sacrificing precious Rob time.

7. What date from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

3rd of January, because I moved into my room in the shared house, 4th of January because I started my job. 23rd of June, because referendum. 8th of November, because presidential election.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I've generally worked super hard, and achieved a lot. I've not had a melt down caused by living with strangers, I've generally got stuff done in my job, and I managed to see people some times.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Seeing people and maing plans. It largely comes from wanting to protect my Rob time, and also trying to ensure I'm not too tired to work. But I feel really bad about it.

I'm actually having to work on being more professional. The vibe at new work is very different to where I've been before, and I'm more senior, so, yeah. I've not always been terribly politic, but I'm working on it!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I got heat exhaustion, the usual round of colds and miner sniffles, and had rampant brain weaselry at various points.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My ticket to Nine Worlds. I had an amazing time and it was such a wonderful, supportive, happy place. All yarn related purchases are good, and my cordless headphones have definitely been getting a good using.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

Rob. He's amazing. He's like the best. He's cooking for me right now, and doing my laundry, and he's just the greatest human ever to exist.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

Less said, the better! (See above comments re: professionalism.)

14. Where did most of your money go?

Rent, really. The rest was to National Express to get back home after my weekly commute. Some went to savings. Others went to keep me filled with chocolate and decaff coffee.

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

Going on holiday! It was great and I loved it and it was super awesome. Also, Nine Worlds. There was a Joss Whedon sing along. YASS.

16. What song will always remind you of 2016?

You don't understand how much I've listened to Hamilton this year, you really don't. Other than that, it's probably Christie and the Dreambeats 'It Wasn't My Fault'. Shit is so catchy.

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

i. happier or sadder?

Definitely happier. I'm starting to regain some of the self confidence I lost during my PhD and I feel like I can start to see a future for myself.

ii. thinner or fatter?

Fatter. Because cooking is hard and chocolate is easy.

iii. richer or poorer?

Richer! I payed Rob back and was able to start saving. Woo!

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

Doing stuff of an evening, whether it's writing, drawing, knitting, seeing films, going to the theatre, going to exhibitions, etc. Just things. Otherwise I just nap, eat, call Rob and then go to bed.

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

Napping. I'm now too old to nap, sadly. This means that I nap, and then stay up late, and toss and turn for a lot of the night. So I need to nap the next night. If I suffer through the being super tired, I have a better night.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

At home, with Rob. Then going to his parent's house in late morning to engage in eating, and drinking, and quizzing. I did two separate family christmasses last weekend, and got that out of the way. The Grandparents are getting too old to cope with it, really. I had a much better time of it than I had last year, and I think I approve of this two stage christmas.

21. Did you fall in love in 2016?

Rob. <3

22. How many one-night stands? Best thing you made?

There will not be, nor have there been in the last nine years, any one-night stands, so I finally changed the question. I made a really super impressive baby blanket for Pip and Bren's bby, and I was so proud of it. I adapted the pattern, it was huge, I had to locate a substitute yarn when I ran out of the stuff I had for it, and I blocked it and, yeah. It looked great.

23. What was your favorite TV program?

It will always be Hannibal. Always. I have so many fan feelings about it and I watch it again and it's still beautiful. There are so many layers I forget, and I say “Oh, Hannibal, you little shit,” so often. It's great.

But, apart from that, Ally introduced me to UnReal, which was super great and super feminist, in that everyone is horrific in it, even the women. But they are so relatable in their horridness that I love it. Also, Lucifer is stupid and ridiculous and great fun.

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

Nah. Too busy for hate.

25. What was the best book you read?

'How to Repair a Mechanical Heart' by J.C. Lillis. It's adorable. Seriously adorable. It's about two teen fanboys going on a convention adventure in an RV and having FEELINGS and RELIGION and MENTAL ILLNESS. AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL. I generally love things set in fandoms, for nostalgia reasons, and this felt like 2003 on LiveJournal all over again.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I didn't do much discovering this year, I largely left that to Rob. I became a masssive convert to Coeur de Pirate, and I really enjoyed quite a lot of his choices. I also discovered that I quite like Rap, which was interesting!

27. What did you want and get?

Pretty much anything that I wanted. I'm massively spoilt like that. I've not really wanted for much, and certainly not for long enough for the want to build up enough to register.

28. What did you want and not get?

A new macbook. This is largely because they didn't announce the new model till late this year, and then they put the prices up of the entire line around that time, for reasons of motherfucking Brexit. And whilst I could afford one, I just don't think it's a very good deal at the moment.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?

Deadpool was gooood! Also, I had OPINIONS on Captain America: Civil War.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I was 30 this year, and I... have no clue what I did. Presumably not a right lot, as it was a weekend and I was home with Rob.

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

Living with Rob. Having more time in Brighton.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2016?

Jeans and jumpers. Jeans and t-shirts. Discovered the joy of palazzo pants and harem pants.

33. What kept you sane?

Same as last year, really. Sertraline, propanolol, Rob.

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

Tom Scott. I met him and he's so pretty, and his skin is just luminous. He was so nice and lovely and precious. *dies of fangirl* ALSO, I get to go to Citation Needed Live next year and I am essited!

35. What political issue stirred you the most?

Trump and Brexit. Because being post-fact is the worst thing for my brain because it gets SO ANGRY, that people are being so wrong and they don't even care.

36. Who did you miss?

Rob. Also Mikey. And my parents.

37. Who was the best new person you met?

I have had some wonderful housemates, and there are plenty of really nice people at work. Lots of great new people!

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016:

If you have to insult people at work, use insults that will sound stupid if they report them. Like poo-poo head. Or bum-face.

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

I wake up in the morning and I wonder,

Why everything's the same as it was,

I can't understand, no, I can't understand,

How life goes on the way it does,

Why does my heart go on beating,

Why do these eyes of mine cry,

Don't they know it's the end of the world,

It ended when you said goodbye.

It feels stranger and stranger to come back to LJ once a year to do this, but I really don't want to stop. I quite like seeing how far I've come since the previous year, and how things have changed since I started doing this meme.

Still. That's my year! :D How you doin'?

Meme of the Year 2016

Meme of the Year 2016

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