Technology and randomness, since 2002
Just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
Presents? I got a 4th generation iPod Nano (in blue), a Canon EOS 350D digital camera (passed down from my father), a digital photo keyring, Denon in-ear headphones, socks and a veritable feast of edible treats.
Weirdly, there’s been a small increase in the number of comments on here over the past few days, despite the fact I’ve only managed one post so far this month.
Main reason for the lack of posts has been partly because I’ve been very busy, partly because I’ve had nothing interesting to write about, and partly because my life isn’t that great right now. Those of you who know me better will know the details but I don’t want to say much publicly until the situation calms down. Which it should do soon, I hope.
Me and Hari are fine, by the way.
I’ve been away from this blog for some time – 2 weeks almost – which is mostly due to being busy at work and having very little free time at home. I’ve been playing World of Warcraft a bit more than usual lately, but now have a second level 70 character as a result.
So what’s happened over the past 2 weeks? Well, based on my recent Twitters, here’s what I’ve been up to:
This, unfortunately, isn’t the return to regularly scheduled blogging, as on Saturday I’m going away for five nights in camping barn in the Lake District with some friends. It’s really in the back-end of nowhere – it doesn’t even have a connection to the electricity grid so all power comes from a hydro-electric generator, and it’s highly unlikely that there will be any mobile phone reception there either. So until I return on Thursday, you may not hear a peep from me, either on here or on Twitter.
It’s time once again to do the end of year quiz – you can also read answers from 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003.
The one that sticks out in my mind is that I DJ’d in a nightclub for the first time this year. There’s other things, such as take my driving test (which happened twice and I failed both times, go me…) but DJ’ing was a happier memory.
Last year’s resolutions were:
One of the resolutions I took off for 2007 was ‘don’t binge drink’ and you’ll be pleased to know I didn’t binge at all last year. That might sound boring but neither Hari nor my friends go out to get blathered anymore.
Nobody close to me, although a work colleague did.
Thankfully no, not this year.
I managed almost a week in Wales in May, but other than that I’ve once again been rooted in England. Hopefully next year we’ll have the money for a weekend in Paris or somewhere.
A permanent job and a car. I managed the ‘proper job’ bit that I wanted last year, albeit on a temporary basis, and Hari and I are now living together as just the two of us.
Our great weekend in London in February.
Getting to our second anniversary of being together (Hari and I). After that, blogging for 5 years straight.
Failing my driving test. Twice.
No physical injuries, just one hell of an asthma attack. Thankfully I’m now on new medication that works like a dream.
I didn’t buy any new Apple products this year, other than Leopard, and though it’s nice it’s not the best thing. Technically we’re renting it, but having our own house has been the best thing we’ve ‘bought’ this year.
Again Hari for sticking with me, and my friends for being there. I know it’s basically the same as last year, but meh.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, annoyed me yet again, as did Robert Mugabe (surprised I haven’t mentioned him before actually…)
Mostly on driving lessons and rent. It’s a nice house but it’s not as cheap as where I was living last year, unfortunately.
Going to see Avenue Q in London.
“Through the Fire and the Flames” by Dragonforce (aka the really hard song from Guitar Hero). It’s one of my most-played songs of the past few months.
Work on my dissertation…
Arguing over nothing of any particular importance.
At home with my parents. Will also be spending some time with Hari’s parents and my friends at New Year.
The Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe
I’m already in love with Hari and intend for it to stay that way.
None.
Again, another good series of Doctor Who, but I’ve also enjoyed Top Gear this year too.
Not really. There’s a few people that I don’t really get on with but hate is too strong an emotion.
The Guardian Book of April Fool’s Day. But other than that I didn’t read much, other than Wikipedia.
Dragonforce and Paramore are both bands that I want to hear a lot more of.
A better-paid, proper job.
I’m still waiting for that pony…
The Simpsons Movie was very good, as was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Haven’t seen The Golden Compass yet.
I was 23 – “nobody likes you when you’re 23…” – and we sat out in the sunshine and had a barbecue.
Money.
Same as usual, but a little bit smarter for work.
Hari and my friends. They also kept me sufficiently insane too.
Had a bit of a thing for Sophia Myles, David Tennant’s ex, and Kate Winslet.
Probably the state of emergency in Pakistan. When the head of the organisation you work for is incarcerated purely for political reasons, it does stir you a bit.
Some of my friends who have moved away after finishing university.
Some of the new members of the university Hiking club are good, though I wouldn’t really count any of them as close friends unfortunately.
Never take a driving test in the late afternoon.
“Through the Fire and the Flames we carry on”, I suppose. No matter what life has thrown at me I’ve carried on.
In what is now an annual event, it’s about time I did the ‘End Of Year Quiz’. Read my answers from 2005, 2004 and 2003, or read on for this year’s answers.
Drive a car. Under instruction of course, I’m still learning.
Last year’s resolutions were:
For 2007, I think I’ll carry on with 2,3 and 4 since binge drinking really doesn’t appeal to me anymore, and add ‘Keep my room tidy’ since that’s something I’ve really fallen back on this year.
My cousin’s wife gave birth earlier this year – here’s a picture of the little bundle of joy from last week.
Not exactly, but I ended up consoling someone who lost a close relative.
Stayed firmly in England right the way through the year. I’ve neither had the time or the money, and Hari hasn’t had the money or passport.
A car, a proper job, and a house with just me and Hari in it. We’re looking at renting together this summer, hopefully.
Introducing Hari to almost everyone in my extended family, the beach party (again), visiting Haworth and getting stuck in the Lake District because of the snow.
Staying with Hari for a whole year.
Having to resit a lot of my exams.
Again, lots of colds. No physical injuries thankfully.
My MacBook. This is the third year in a row that something made by Apple has featured here.
Hari, for sticking with me, and my friends for being cool.
I’ll let Mr Bush off this year because he hasn’t done anything much to make me hate him more, but Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, stays there, as does the Israeli government for invading Lebanon.
Once again, Apple Computer took a sizeable chunk of my cash, as did BSM for my driving lessons and the university for my tuition fees. I didn’t spend so much at the pub though.
Hari, the beach party and going to Cadbury World, thus revealing my inner 5 year old again.
“Monster” by The Automatic.
Work on my dissertation…
Playing World of Warcraft. Though I’ve only played it a bit these past two weeks.
Um, I spent it at home with my parents, and went to see the rest of my family.
The Penguin of Death.
Was already in love. Thankfully I didn’t fall out if it.
None.
Doctor Who wins again, as does Family Guy. I haven’t been watching much TV this year, to be honest.
No, not really.
Me? Read a book? Nevah!
Yellowcard. Okay so most people probably discovered them about 3-4 years ago, but never mind.
My MacBook.
I’m still waiting for that pony…
I actually enjoyed The Holiday even though some gave it lousy reviews. I also got to see Narnia which was thoroughly enjoyable.
I was 22 – we went out for dinner and had a few drinks.
Not having to study so much.
Same as usual.
Hari and my friends.
Kirsten Dunst still.
I really haven’t been all that involved in politics this year, or at least not anything on a national scale.
A friend of mine from university who moved away to a new job when she finished her course.
Didn’t really meet that many new people this year so no-one sticks out.
Playing Solitaire does not boost your academic performance.
That’s quite hard because to be honest this year hasn’t been hugely interesting – no big events or major crises. Unless anyone knows a song about life being normal, not particularly eventful and neither really great nor really bad.
Thanks for all of the birthday wishes over the past couple of days – I had quite a good birthday but most of my presents aren’t coming until tomorrow. Not entirely sure what I’m getting but I think they will mostly be vouchers for driving lessons.
I’m having a brief experiment with Trackback. A while ago I removed the block of code that allows other weblogs to discover the trackback URL and post to it, in an effort to reduce trackback spam. This turned out to be very successful, making the trackback problem almost non-existent, however since then I’ve been getting almost no trackbacks at all which makes the feature almost useless. So I’ve re-added it, but now I’ll only be opening trackback on a handful of entries (with it off by default). I’ll see if I start getting more pings this way, or if the spam problem becomes intolerable again.
I’m looking at alternatives to trackback, such as getting data from Technorati and displaying a list of blogs that link to that entry, but I’d like to give trackback another chance before I give up on it.
In what is now an annual event, it’s about time I did the ‘End Of Year Quiz’. Read my answers from 2004 and 2003, or read on for this year’s answers.
Get a serious girlfriend 🙂 . I also went to a few new places.
My resolutions have been the same for a few years now, and they were:
For 2006, I’ll continue with 2,3 and 4. Instead of 1, I’ll do “Don’t binge drink”.
Yes, they did. And he’s sooo cute.
Next year I should have another second cousin, which will be nice. He’s due in April.
Thankfully, no.
Again, didn’t really get to go abroad this year despite a planned trip to Ireland in November. I did spend a day in Scotland though. Hopefully I’ll be able to get away in 2006.
Hmmm. Can’t use the same answer from previous years now. To be honest, I really don’t know – all I can think of are little material things that I probably don’t need anyway, like a new iPod, new laptop…
Meeting Hari in October (because she’s wonderful), the Make Poverty History demo in July (because it was such a big and positive event), my election campaign in March (because I learned a lot and didn’t come out as badly as I’d feared).
Graduating.
Not getting a 2:1 or first class honours in my degree.
Just lots of colds. :-/
My Mac Mini 🙂 . Probably followed by my digital camera.
I’m tempted to say all my friends again. They’ve been excellent this year.
George W Bush. Need I say more?
Oh, and the new president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Like last year, the pub and Apple Computer. But also the University of Bradford now that I’m paying part of my fees myself, eBay, and on stuff with Hari.
Christmas, the beach party, my Mac Mini and Hari. Essentially the same as last year, except last year it was an iPod and I didn’t know Hari.
“Mr Brightside” by The Killers.
happier or sadder?Quite a bit happier.thinner or fatter?I think I’m a bit thinner.richer or poorer?Probably a bit richer (in terms of money in the bank) but I’m still in debt since I owe the student loans company £9000 now.
Time with Hari. And free time in general.
Playing Solitaire and Freecell. Again…
I make this mistake every year don’t I? Oh well, I spent it with my family again. It was nice to see them all again, especially my grandparents.
Davros.
Erm, yeah, just a bit…
None at all.
I was really impressed at the revival of Doctor Who this year. I’ve also been enjoying the new series of Family Guy, Top Gear, Have I Got News For You and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (now that’s available here).
No, not really.
Books?!?!? That’s so ‘old media’!
Erm, well, I enjoyed Hacking Movable Type. Haven’t really read any fiction this year… again…
Probably We Are Scientists and the Kaiser Chiefs.
A new mobile phone (again), a Mac Mini and some other stuff.
Once again, world peace has failed to materialise, and I didn’t get a pony either. Hmph.
Wallace and Gromit and the Curse of the Were-Rabbit. But the new Harry Potter film was good too.
Not a lot, since it was the exam period and there was a big football game on. I was 21.
Meeting Hari earlier in the year.
Same as usual.
My friends and hobbies.
Kirsten Dunst still. Though Charlotte Church is nice.
Probably equality and anti-racism, but Fairtrade was up there too.
My former housemate Jamie who’s now in France.
Again, Hari, but there were plenty of others.
I learned that I can’t drink lager quickly and still expect to be able to stand up.
“I’m coming out of my cage, and I’m doing just fine” – Mr Brightside, by The Killers.
Here’s a quiz I took this last year updated for 2004. Should be interesting when comparing answers. Read on…
Go out every night of the week – and by that I mean stay out later than midnight every night for 7 days solid. I’ve almost managed it before but this year was the first time I’d done it fully. I was totally knackered afterwards, as you can imagine.
Well, my resolutions for 2004 were:
For 2005 I’ll probably do more of the same.
Not this year. My cousin’s daughter Eve is growing up fast – she’s learned to walk and is eating solid food now. She’s still adorable though, and very well behaved.
Thankfully, no.
If it counts, Wales (for a day in December). Haven’t really had the chance to go abroad this year.
A girlfriend? Although I’ve lacked that in 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999…
The Beach Party in June for the sheer insanity of the whole thing. We’re having another one this year which promises to be bigger and better than last time – hopefully we’ll actually get some sunshine this time too!
Either getting a summer placement or doing much better in my resits than I did on my first attempt. I was also pretty impressed at getting asked to co-author a book about Movable Type, even if I didn’t get time to contribute in the end.
Having to do re-sits, and having to pull out of the book.
No injuries, but I had the odd cold. Not as bad as last year though.
My iPod Mini, without a doubt. Although I’m pretty pleased with my Family Guy DVDs too.
All my friends, as I said last year. They’ve been brilliant this year and really made my life worth living.
Like last year I’ll say a Labour politician, though it’ll be Charles Clarke and his bill to make students even poorer than they already are. Though that doesn’t mean Blair is off the hook either. He’s better than Howard or *shiver* Kilroy-Silk but that doesn’t mean I like him or his ideas.
The pub. And Apple Computer.
Christmas, the beach party, my iPod Mini.
“In The Shadows” by The Rasmus.
happier or sadder?Probably about the same, maybe happier. thinner or fatter?Fatter, alas. richer or poorer?Richer in that I have quite a lot more money in the bank, poorer in that I owe far more than that to the government in student loans.
Exercise.
Playing Solitaire and Freecell.
Yep, once again, I’ve taken this a few days too late.
The meme monster.
Yeah, I wish.
Yeah, I wish.
Family Guy, although I’ve been watching that on DVD so I don’t know if it counts. Otherwise either 2DTV, QI, Have I Got News For You or Dead Ringers. From the radio I’d choose The News Quiz or The 99p Challenge.
Not really no.
Books? I read blogs! In which case I’d name Dooce as my favourite – Heather’s a brilliant observer and her writing always makes me chuckle.
I hadn’t realised I liked Ash and Green Day so much. But they’re not really discoveries.
A new watch, a pen drive, a new mobile phone (twice), a DVD player and that iPod Mini again 🙂 .
World peace and lots of money.
Of those that I saw, Spiderman II.
Get drunk on Turboshandy (avoid it, please). I was 20.
A girlfriend and more cash.
Eh…? Same clothes I usually wear – subdued casuals.
My friends and having lots of stuff to do.
Kirsten Dunst.
Top-up fees again, followed by equal opportunities/diversity, the Iraq war and hunting with dogs. I’ve been somewhat more political this year than in previous years.
A friend of mine who is on placement.
Too many to mention.
If you’re going to live with some mates of yours, make sure it’s only for a year at a time. I like my housemates and get on well with them, but I really don’t want to live with them next year…
“Girl! I’m gonna take you to a gay bar!” . Because I went to one (well, a gay club night) and my life, like the song, has been a bit insane at times over the year. All in all, 2004 was a good year for me, but hopefully 2005 will be better.
No idea who started this meme, but Google shows quite a lot of results. In any case, I’ve nicked it from LordRich.com, although I managed to find question 29. 21 is still a mystery.
Drink a pint of lager. No, seriously.
Kind-of, and yes. I did reduce my drinking, eventually, but I really need to exercise more and eat better food. So they’ll be my resolutions. Oh, and try to save even more money.
My cousin and his wife now have a lovely daughter called Eve, born in September. She’s adorable.
Yes, my godfather, back in August.
Just France this year.
A girlfriend? Although I’ve lacked that in 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999…
Probably my godfather’s funeral.
Passing my first year with a 64.8% average.
Not passing with better marks.
Injury: odd sore finger, but that’s it. As for illness, I seem to have had every cold going, plus the ‘flu. But nothing too serious – I’ve never been a hospital inpatient apart from when I was born.
Difficult one. I’m pleased with my Duex MP3 player
All my friends.
Tony Blair for being a suck-up and not taking time to get his ‘facts’ checked out properly.
You tell me.
Sometimes even little things get me excited so the list here would be too long.
Probably either “Fly on the Wings of Love” by XTM or “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by The Darkness.
Socialising and exercise. Unless someone opens a pub in the gym the two are hard to mix.
Playing Solitaire. That thing has wasted far too much of my time. And eating junk food.
Hrm, no-one told me I should’ve done this last week…
I blame Elmo.
Not really.
None. Like I’d ever be in a position to get a one-night stand.
It’s a tie between the repeats of Coupling, My Family, QI and Have I Got News For You.
Other than Blair, no. In fact the inverse is more true.
“Just For Fun” by Linus Torvalds. Although admittedly that was the only book I read 🙂 .
Probably “Time to Fly (Climax 69 Remix)” by Lyala. There wasn’t much decent trance out this year unfortunately, and any half-decent stuff was by established artists.
Probably that MP3 player again.
World peace and new mobile phone.
Probably Return of the King, but I only saw a handful of films this year.
Attempted to go out but couldn’t get in anywhere. I was 19.
A really close friend.
Less beige, more dark green and black. And scarves.
My friends. Although my sanity parted company with me years ago.
I tend not to fancy celebrities, but Cate Blanchett is pretty fit.
Top-up fees, followed by the War in Iraq,
Friends from college.
There were several.
Too many to name, but not as many as last year.
I’ll do what Richard did and quote a Warrior lyric: “If you’re standing accused and you’re lost and confused, you don’t have to take the blame. If your life’s rushing by you I’ll be there beside you, I’ll help you to ease the pain.” I don’t really like the vocalist but the song is good.