All I Do is Eat and Sleep and Sing

Alright everybody, I should be getting ready for a Hogmanay party, but I’m wasting time with this survey. Feel free to ask more on my answers (don’t ask).

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?

Quit a supposed dream job, spent at least one night away from home alone.

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

I’ve made some writing resolutions in the last post, but I feel that these are more career objectives that I should have put into place ages ago. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My sister gave birth to her first daughter Rachel Elizabeth, after 12 years of dashed expectations. Of course, the whole circumstances up to her conception were so upsetting and I wished that she had the chance to play with all her big brothers, but this doesn’t make her birth any less joyous.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

An uncle on my Dad’s side, but that was it.

5. What countries did you visit?

I’ve only really ventured into the border between the Northern and Republic of Ireland (Warrenpoint).

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?

I wished that I had the confidence to ask for help with settling into things, instead of deciding to give up.

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Saturday August 28 this year was pretty bad.

I was away covering the Network Events at the Television Festival in Edinburgh for IdeasTap, and as much as I enjoyed meeting people, feeling inspired and generally being away from the tedium of underemployment in Glasgow throughout the weekend, I was having problems. I kept getting lost to and from the Network Events and the Pollock Halls, I couldn’t find cheap nearby venues for lunch and dinner, I kept panicking about things I had forgotten and needing unnecessary USB cables for charging dictaphone batteries.

All of this came to a head after bursting into tears after the post MacTaggart lecture function, feeling overwhelmed at the amount of professionals and delegates there, but still lonely and unsure of everything. I was advised to head home the afternoon after, and have never lived those events down. Remind me never to apply next year - after all, I’ll probably be too old.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I finally graduated from the Journalism MLitt, but I wish it was over and done with by the end of last year (2009).

9. What was your biggest failure?

[Edit: Whoops, I left the forgot to put my own answer here] I’ve been rejected from a few pretty exciting job interviews, that have been disappointing, but I think the biggest failure has to be how the volunteer placement petered out. It was such a good opportunity for six months, and the fact that I was too annoyed by and also too scared to socialise with the other volunteers, and didn’t really pull my weight there really contributed to this.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I threw up during my lunch hour on the second day of that short-lived full-time volunteering placement. Otherwise, I’ve been having the usual sprained ankles, colds and headaches, and I have just shaken off most of the flu this week.

 11. What was the best thing you bought?

A Shake Weight complete with terrifying instructional DVD. Living the meme, here.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

Former employers and commissioning editors I’ve had embarassing run-ins throughout the past and have had to reassure me that everything was alright during personal and professional low-points. I wish there was some way I could repay their support by being, you know, a success, but that’ll probably be 2011’s answer.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

I’ve felt frustrated at other people sometimes.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Food. Concert tickets. Useless magazines (glossy monthly and pretentious biannuals) for personal and professional inspiration of course. 

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

The volunteer placement - let’s not talk about that again. The MGEITF Network Event - we all know how that went. But I did get excited about seeing Grizzly Bear at Edinburgh in March as this was the first concert I attended in three years (SERIOUSLY), and was counting on them to cheer me up from the depressing start of the year. They were pretty awesome, it felt like the first day of Spring the morning after… and everything got progressively more disappointing afterwards.

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?

Whip my Hair. I’ll be telling all my grandchildren about how we listened to real music like this back in the day, when they’re talking about the One Direction reunion.

17. Compared to this time last year:
i. happier or sadder?
sadder
ii. thinner or fatter?
roughly the same
iii. richer or poorer?
roughly the same

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

Made more advance preparations and arrangements before doing things. Pitching and writing.

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

Panicking.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

I spent Christmas with my family. All my relatives came to mine for Christmas breakfast and present exchange, and I went to my big brother’s for the big dinner.

21. How will you be spending New Year’s Day?

My Mum’s putting on the turkey and trimmings again for everyone. I just don’t get enough turkey this year, just kidding Mum, please stop.

22. Did you fall in love in 2010?

No.

24. What were your favourite TV programmes?

Take Me Out

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

Not really, I just get disappointed by people sometimes.

26. What was the best book you read?

I enjoyed Sloane Crosley’s How Did You Get This Number on a boring long weekend in Warrenpoint. I’m going back to “Lost in Space” (the one about the spatial dysphasia) at certain points.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I haven’t actually made many discoveries this year, apart from knowing how terrible Salem are.

28. What did you want and get?

A job. I wasn’t able to keep it though.

29. What did you want and not get?

A job I was able to keep.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?

Toy Story 3

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

I was 24, and had a birthday lunch with my Mum, my sister and godson and my older relatives. I share a birthday with my Aunt Ellen who was 70 there, but it was fairly low-key as Ellen’s twin Josephine passed away the previous November, and we were in no mood for a big birthday celebration.

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

More stability, and for wishes to come true.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?

All over the place.

34. What kept you sane?

Being motivated at the start of things. I was also cheered up by being able to sing with the Arches Community Choir, and also Videogum and its monsters.

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

There’s been a lot. I’ve not had an imaginary celebrity boyfriend since the time I’d answer “Alex Kapranos” in my Livejournal all the time, but the Spanish national football team were none too shabby, eh?

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

The “OMG Secularists versus Catholics” bother during the Papal visit left me conflicted, becoming even more pessimistic that relations between the sides are getting worse. How the Government spending cuts were targeting certain areas, and getting frustrated about how perceptions of “spoiled students”/”workshy dolescum”/”feckless single mothers”/”the pretend disabled” who need to be corrected were undermining its effects on real members of society.

37. Who did you miss?

Close friends from university.

38. Who were the best people you met?

I’ve been working part-time in a private GP clinic in a complementary/alternative medical centre in the later part of this year, and I’m struck by how my colleagues have been so patient, calm and encouraging. I’ve also joined the Arches Community Choir, and I hope to improve my relations there too!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.

Not to be so scared of asking for help. 

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

“I fed a fish to a pelican at Frisco Bay, he tried to eat my cellphone - he ran away.”