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fpb1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
Taught French to a Vietnamese child and designed teaching material about the Battle of Hastings. Gone to live in Ilford. Got broadband. Written dozens of fics. Started a LJ. Received compliments for an article on Mozart.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I never make resolutions.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No, that was last year.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No - but I found out, late and agonizingly.
5. What countries did you visit?
Italy. Which hardly counts.
6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
MOney. Lots of it. And a publisher for my HISTORY OF BRITAIN 407-597.
7. What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
No comment.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
None. It was a poorish year. By achievement I mean completing a major research project, writing poetry or finishing a large-scale artistic project, so: none of the above.
9. What was your biggest failure?
NO comment. I'll just say that it hurt.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Blood loss in the intestine, which had something to do with a number of bad things this year.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A number of Chesterton books, and my broadband connection.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Paula Radcliffe's. After her disastrous loss at the Olympics, she picked herself up, dusted herself off, and, in a few weeks, was back to winning in New York, in crushing style, and with the one thing we had never seen from her before - a sprint finish.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
People who befriended me and then suddenly forgot why because they found I disagreed with them. Especially musicians. What is the matter with music, the most beautiful thing in the world, that it seems to breed the vilest people?
14. Where did most of your money go?
As usual - music, books, internet, comics.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Discovering some truly great writers in fandom, and especially the awe-inspiring genius of Kenna Hijja.
16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
This was the year I discovered Greg Hyland's lovely SEALED WITH A KISS, though it is all of forty years old. And even more, Leonard Cohen's TAKE THIS WALTZ and DANCE ME TO THE END OF LOVE. Again, Sarah McLachlan's FULL OF GRACE. (A certain LJ friend ought to know that she had a major impact on my musical year - thank you, Jennilee.)
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Last year was such a stinker that nothing could be worse. This year has been bad, but at least I leave it with a few more friends than I had.
ii. thinner or fatter? Fatter.
iii. richer or poorer? The same. In debt.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Writing! WORK, dammit!! You lazy hound!
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Eating; and mis-planning my spending.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
At home in Rome with my mother and friends, thank God. I even got back in touch with a childhood friend I had not seen in years.
22. Did you fall in love in 2004?
No. In 1994 - and it is still going on.
23. How many one-night stands?
Who can be bothered? None, of course.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
BtVS. Funny, because I find its world skewed and its ideology dubious. But it remains a triumph. Also, some documentaries. And one or two astounding BBC reports, such as the one from a gold rush city over five thousand metres up in the Peruvian Andes, which is like the Wild West plus impossible climate. I have been known to complain about the BBC, but they really have no equals when it comes to this sort of thing.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I wish you hadn't asked that.
26. What was the best book you read?
I continue to discover new features to the genius of G.K.Chesterton.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Walton and Leonard Cohen. Garth Brooks. (Again, witness the mighty impact of the Jennilee! Thanks, beautiful.)
28. What did you want and get?
Broadband.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Incredibles. (Definitely NOT PoA.)
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Diddly and Squat. 42 and don't remind me.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Something that did not happen about ten years ago.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
Fat.
34. What kept you sane?
Good question. What DID?
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Thinking again, I would have to say, Paula Radcliffe. She's taller than me, thin as a board, and definitely not a classical beauty, but I find her incredibly sweet and huggable.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The beginnings of the active exclusion of Catholics from European politics.
37. Who did you miss?
Laura Latini - always and for ever, friend of my heart.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Well, I actually got to know her last year, and I never met her in person, and I quarrel with her, but Hijja is still in a class of her own. Other good people include my enduring LJ friends - rfachir, jennilee, thepreciouss, and so on - and even one person I met and lost: bruno_greengras
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004:
People don't like being disagreed with. And I knew that before.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I'm still standing, better than I ever did,
Lookin' like a true survivor, feelin' like a little kid.
I'm still standing, after all this time,
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind.
I'm still standing, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Taught French to a Vietnamese child and designed teaching material about the Battle of Hastings. Gone to live in Ilford. Got broadband. Written dozens of fics. Started a LJ. Received compliments for an article on Mozart.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I never make resolutions.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No, that was last year.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No - but I found out, late and agonizingly.
5. What countries did you visit?
Italy. Which hardly counts.
6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
MOney. Lots of it. And a publisher for my HISTORY OF BRITAIN 407-597.
7. What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
No comment.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
None. It was a poorish year. By achievement I mean completing a major research project, writing poetry or finishing a large-scale artistic project, so: none of the above.
9. What was your biggest failure?
NO comment. I'll just say that it hurt.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Blood loss in the intestine, which had something to do with a number of bad things this year.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A number of Chesterton books, and my broadband connection.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Paula Radcliffe's. After her disastrous loss at the Olympics, she picked herself up, dusted herself off, and, in a few weeks, was back to winning in New York, in crushing style, and with the one thing we had never seen from her before - a sprint finish.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
People who befriended me and then suddenly forgot why because they found I disagreed with them. Especially musicians. What is the matter with music, the most beautiful thing in the world, that it seems to breed the vilest people?
14. Where did most of your money go?
As usual - music, books, internet, comics.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Discovering some truly great writers in fandom, and especially the awe-inspiring genius of Kenna Hijja.
16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
This was the year I discovered Greg Hyland's lovely SEALED WITH A KISS, though it is all of forty years old. And even more, Leonard Cohen's TAKE THIS WALTZ and DANCE ME TO THE END OF LOVE. Again, Sarah McLachlan's FULL OF GRACE. (A certain LJ friend ought to know that she had a major impact on my musical year - thank you, Jennilee.)
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Last year was such a stinker that nothing could be worse. This year has been bad, but at least I leave it with a few more friends than I had.
ii. thinner or fatter? Fatter.
iii. richer or poorer? The same. In debt.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Writing! WORK, dammit!! You lazy hound!
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Eating; and mis-planning my spending.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
At home in Rome with my mother and friends, thank God. I even got back in touch with a childhood friend I had not seen in years.
22. Did you fall in love in 2004?
No. In 1994 - and it is still going on.
23. How many one-night stands?
Who can be bothered? None, of course.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
BtVS. Funny, because I find its world skewed and its ideology dubious. But it remains a triumph. Also, some documentaries. And one or two astounding BBC reports, such as the one from a gold rush city over five thousand metres up in the Peruvian Andes, which is like the Wild West plus impossible climate. I have been known to complain about the BBC, but they really have no equals when it comes to this sort of thing.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I wish you hadn't asked that.
26. What was the best book you read?
I continue to discover new features to the genius of G.K.Chesterton.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Walton and Leonard Cohen. Garth Brooks. (Again, witness the mighty impact of the Jennilee! Thanks, beautiful.)
28. What did you want and get?
Broadband.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Incredibles. (Definitely NOT PoA.)
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Diddly and Squat. 42 and don't remind me.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Something that did not happen about ten years ago.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
Fat.
34. What kept you sane?
Good question. What DID?
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Thinking again, I would have to say, Paula Radcliffe. She's taller than me, thin as a board, and definitely not a classical beauty, but I find her incredibly sweet and huggable.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The beginnings of the active exclusion of Catholics from European politics.
37. Who did you miss?
Laura Latini - always and for ever, friend of my heart.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Well, I actually got to know her last year, and I never met her in person, and I quarrel with her, but Hijja is still in a class of her own. Other good people include my enduring LJ friends - rfachir, jennilee, thepreciouss, and so on - and even one person I met and lost: bruno_greengras
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004:
People don't like being disagreed with. And I knew that before.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I'm still standing, better than I ever did,
Lookin' like a true survivor, feelin' like a little kid.
I'm still standing, after all this time,
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind.
I'm still standing, yeah, yeah, yeah!
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Date: 2004-12-10 12:20 am (UTC)