Entry tags:
2012 in review
It's that time of year again...
(2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
Gave birth. Parented.
And probably some other stuff, but really this year has been all about that.
(I have tried quilting & patchwork for the first time! That is v exciting to me but likely less so to anyone else at all.)
Had a book published that I was actually really excited about writing. (And some stories! But that happened last year too, yay.)
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I had half-a-dozen aims (rather than resolutions), according to my diary. I have achieved 5.5 of them (well, several of them are fairly woolly but I look at them & feel OK about them, so that can count). Well done me. I will have some more aims for next year, then, I guess. One of them is to do more social stuff, & the other is the ongoing attempt to do more activist stuff.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Me! Does that count? Some other friends have had babies, too.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
I don't think so.
5. What countries did you visit?
Scotland. N Ireland. Booked to go to Venice next year hurrah.
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
A stair carpet. (The ball is in my court on that one, so I should get to it & phone some people.)
Time for fiction writing. (Well hm it's not so much the *time* per se as the way I choose to organise it and/or motivation. Which is harder to fix, unfortunately.)
More non-tech non-fiction writing commissions.
(Last year I wanted less stress (tick), fewer builders (tick), and more time / spaciousness of time (tick). I am surprised that parenting seems to have reduced my stress levels. I actually have less time, but I feel better about it, so maybe that's more about appropriate expectations than anything else. Still a success though.)
7. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Leon was born on 3 March 2012.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I think we're doing a decent job at parenting. So far, anyway.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I am not doing so well on the social stuff (with any of non-parent friends, friends-who-are-parents, or parent friends, iyswim; though I have met some nice new folk). I didn't do as much fiction writing as I wanted to during maternity leave, although I did write one story while L was newborn.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
3b tear post-delivery, & subsequent stitching-up in theatre (bah, though they did a fabulous job). All healed up absolutely fine, though. Nothing else bar the odd 24-hr virus whatsit. (edit) Oh yes, & I broke my toe (left little) in December by accidentally kicking a chair. Whoops.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Slings! A Several of slings [cough]. Mini iPad. Kindle (actually![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
doop bought me both of those, hurrah.)
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
P, d, & M, who are all fabulous as ever. Leon, who has been a remarkably conveniently behaved baby, bless him.
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
angelmine continues to do a bang-up job in difficult circumstances.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
As last year: lots of politicians. ARGH ARGH ARGH.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Have mostly been on maternity leave, so: basic expenses, slings.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Leon!
16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Probably the Three Little Ducks song... Or Just Dance (Lady Gaga) & Earth Chant (Seize the Day) (both on my birth playlist, though it didn't last that long before I got fed up of music); or Suzanne/Sisters of Mercy/Hallejulah, which trio of songs I sang Leon to sleep many many times in his first few months.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier. If more tired.
ii. thinner or fatter? No idea. This time last year I was 6 months pregnant.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer, though not by much.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I don't think I could have fit any more of anything into this year. I wouldn't mind doing a bit more socialising next year, but realistically I am a bit knackered (& also probably a bit dull to be around, since basically all I do is mind the baby & write). We'll see how evenings go as Leon gets bigger.
I would like to be doing more activism, but I am not yet sure what exactly.
A note to myself: what I *am* currently doing in the broadest sense of 'activism' which is to say 'doing outward-facing stuff that I think will make the world better': small amounts with Galleywall Nature Reserve & Activist Trauma Support; joint-organising the E London slingmeet as of the last couple of months & probably doing the Trageschule thing in May; intermittent attendance at assorted demos etc. So I'm not exactly doing nothing; I think the problem is that I have not FIXED THE WORLD yet, nor has it fixed itself in my absence. Perhaps I should be a bit more realistic here...
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Pass. Maybe slightly fewer night feeds? That's just kind of where things are at right now, though, so I'm not *all* that bothered about it. (Ask me this time next year...)
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
As per usual, it was in Bermondsey, with Pete & doop & Leon, and my family visiting on Boxing Day. Quiet but nice.
21. Did you fall in love in 2012?
Not in the romantic sense. With Leon, yes, obv.
22. How many one-night stands?
None.
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Things I watched on TV: the Tour, the Olympics, the Paralympics, a few episodes of Strictly Come Dancing (um). Of those, I probably enjoyed the Tour the most, although the Olympics/Paralympics runs it close.
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Don't think so.
25. What was the best book you read?
I can still never remember anything I've read. I've read a lot of parenting books, & some of them have been quite good. Recently I've been reading lots of Phryne Fisher books, but while they're great fun I wouldn't call them "best".
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I thoroughly enjoyedkatstevens' Number Ones of the [decade X] playlists on Spotify. I doubt any of that counts as a musical discovery, though. I've listened to a lot of Chumbawamba this year.
27. What did you want and get?
Healthy baby, successful home water birth. (could have done without the tear, sure, but I still feel positive about the whole thing.) Plenty of freelance work on my return from maternity leave. The book finally published.
28. What did you want and not get?
Again: freelance work that was less techie and more about other things. Having said that: I'm only just back off maternity leave, I've got a couple of non-techie commissions, and really as long as I'm working & enjoying it (which I am) I don't want to complain.
A bit more sleep. (But again, compared to so many friends' babies, I really can't complain; Leon is a sleeper, as these things go.)
29. What was your favourite film of this year?
I don't think I've seen a film this year.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 34, and I had a party here. It was very fine, as ever.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Can't think of anything really. Perhaps: being a bit more organised with my time & thus doing a bit more fiction-writing.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Stuff I can feed Leon in.
33. What kept you sane?
Partners. Self-belief (rational or otherwise). doop taking the early-morning Leon shift & bringing me breakfast in bed. Lowering my expectations of myself to be a bit more realistic (e.g.: looking after a baby *is* actually a full-time job, and not something that you can fit a whole bunch of other things around). Continuing, as last year, attempts at internal contemplation.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
No one?
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Again: climate change, cuts.
36. Who did you miss?
Maia (though she visited, hurrah!). Richard.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
Leon!
I met some very nice folk at slingmeets, too.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012
Something about trusting my own instincts. Watching Leon explore the world is also a reminder of how *interesting* everything is.
Enjoy the moment that is right now.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year
Can't right now; will consider the matter.
40. Did you enjoy this year?
Yes. Definitely. Much more than I expected to, in fact. Which is nice.
(2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
Gave birth. Parented.
And probably some other stuff, but really this year has been all about that.
(I have tried quilting & patchwork for the first time! That is v exciting to me but likely less so to anyone else at all.)
Had a book published that I was actually really excited about writing. (And some stories! But that happened last year too, yay.)
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I had half-a-dozen aims (rather than resolutions), according to my diary. I have achieved 5.5 of them (well, several of them are fairly woolly but I look at them & feel OK about them, so that can count). Well done me. I will have some more aims for next year, then, I guess. One of them is to do more social stuff, & the other is the ongoing attempt to do more activist stuff.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Me! Does that count? Some other friends have had babies, too.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
I don't think so.
5. What countries did you visit?
Scotland. N Ireland. Booked to go to Venice next year hurrah.
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
A stair carpet. (The ball is in my court on that one, so I should get to it & phone some people.)
Time for fiction writing. (Well hm it's not so much the *time* per se as the way I choose to organise it and/or motivation. Which is harder to fix, unfortunately.)
More non-tech non-fiction writing commissions.
(Last year I wanted less stress (tick), fewer builders (tick), and more time / spaciousness of time (tick). I am surprised that parenting seems to have reduced my stress levels. I actually have less time, but I feel better about it, so maybe that's more about appropriate expectations than anything else. Still a success though.)
7. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Leon was born on 3 March 2012.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I think we're doing a decent job at parenting. So far, anyway.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I am not doing so well on the social stuff (with any of non-parent friends, friends-who-are-parents, or parent friends, iyswim; though I have met some nice new folk). I didn't do as much fiction writing as I wanted to during maternity leave, although I did write one story while L was newborn.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
3b tear post-delivery, & subsequent stitching-up in theatre (bah, though they did a fabulous job). All healed up absolutely fine, though. Nothing else bar the odd 24-hr virus whatsit. (edit) Oh yes, & I broke my toe (left little) in December by accidentally kicking a chair. Whoops.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Slings! A Several of slings [cough]. Mini iPad. Kindle (actually
doop bought me both of those, hurrah.)12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
P, d, & M, who are all fabulous as ever. Leon, who has been a remarkably conveniently behaved baby, bless him.
angelmine continues to do a bang-up job in difficult circumstances. 13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
As last year: lots of politicians. ARGH ARGH ARGH.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Have mostly been on maternity leave, so: basic expenses, slings.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Leon!
16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Probably the Three Little Ducks song... Or Just Dance (Lady Gaga) & Earth Chant (Seize the Day) (both on my birth playlist, though it didn't last that long before I got fed up of music); or Suzanne/Sisters of Mercy/Hallejulah, which trio of songs I sang Leon to sleep many many times in his first few months.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier. If more tired.
ii. thinner or fatter? No idea. This time last year I was 6 months pregnant.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer, though not by much.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I don't think I could have fit any more of anything into this year. I wouldn't mind doing a bit more socialising next year, but realistically I am a bit knackered (& also probably a bit dull to be around, since basically all I do is mind the baby & write). We'll see how evenings go as Leon gets bigger.
I would like to be doing more activism, but I am not yet sure what exactly.
A note to myself: what I *am* currently doing in the broadest sense of 'activism' which is to say 'doing outward-facing stuff that I think will make the world better': small amounts with Galleywall Nature Reserve & Activist Trauma Support; joint-organising the E London slingmeet as of the last couple of months & probably doing the Trageschule thing in May; intermittent attendance at assorted demos etc. So I'm not exactly doing nothing; I think the problem is that I have not FIXED THE WORLD yet, nor has it fixed itself in my absence. Perhaps I should be a bit more realistic here...
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Pass. Maybe slightly fewer night feeds? That's just kind of where things are at right now, though, so I'm not *all* that bothered about it. (Ask me this time next year...)
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
As per usual, it was in Bermondsey, with Pete & doop & Leon, and my family visiting on Boxing Day. Quiet but nice.
21. Did you fall in love in 2012?
Not in the romantic sense. With Leon, yes, obv.
22. How many one-night stands?
None.
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Things I watched on TV: the Tour, the Olympics, the Paralympics, a few episodes of Strictly Come Dancing (um). Of those, I probably enjoyed the Tour the most, although the Olympics/Paralympics runs it close.
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Don't think so.
25. What was the best book you read?
I can still never remember anything I've read. I've read a lot of parenting books, & some of them have been quite good. Recently I've been reading lots of Phryne Fisher books, but while they're great fun I wouldn't call them "best".
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I thoroughly enjoyed
katstevens' Number Ones of the [decade X] playlists on Spotify. I doubt any of that counts as a musical discovery, though. I've listened to a lot of Chumbawamba this year. 27. What did you want and get?
Healthy baby, successful home water birth. (could have done without the tear, sure, but I still feel positive about the whole thing.) Plenty of freelance work on my return from maternity leave. The book finally published.
28. What did you want and not get?
Again: freelance work that was less techie and more about other things. Having said that: I'm only just back off maternity leave, I've got a couple of non-techie commissions, and really as long as I'm working & enjoying it (which I am) I don't want to complain.
A bit more sleep. (But again, compared to so many friends' babies, I really can't complain; Leon is a sleeper, as these things go.)
29. What was your favourite film of this year?
I don't think I've seen a film this year.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 34, and I had a party here. It was very fine, as ever.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Can't think of anything really. Perhaps: being a bit more organised with my time & thus doing a bit more fiction-writing.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Stuff I can feed Leon in.
33. What kept you sane?
Partners. Self-belief (rational or otherwise). doop taking the early-morning Leon shift & bringing me breakfast in bed. Lowering my expectations of myself to be a bit more realistic (e.g.: looking after a baby *is* actually a full-time job, and not something that you can fit a whole bunch of other things around). Continuing, as last year, attempts at internal contemplation.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
No one?
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Again: climate change, cuts.
36. Who did you miss?
Maia (though she visited, hurrah!). Richard.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
Leon!
I met some very nice folk at slingmeets, too.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012
Something about trusting my own instincts. Watching Leon explore the world is also a reminder of how *interesting* everything is.
Enjoy the moment that is right now.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year
Can't right now; will consider the matter.
40. Did you enjoy this year?
Yes. Definitely. Much more than I expected to, in fact. Which is nice.