I decided to do this survey I found to summarise my engagement (or lack of it) with 2010. If it works I may do it again in a year’s time.
1. What did you do that you’d never done before?
Retire
Be hypnotised
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t make New Year resolutions (see here); but I did have some goals most of which I failed to achieve
3. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
More sex
£1M
4. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory?
Sunday 14 February
Saturday 5 June
Friday 27 August
5. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No more than normal: the usual couple of vile colds etc.
6. What was the best thing you bought?
New digital SLR camera
7. Where did most of your money go?
Fuck knows, and he ain’t telling me
8. What did you get really, really excited about?
Nothing; I waste effort on excitement or panic
9. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a. happier or sadder? Definitely happier and less depressed, at least at the moment
b. thinner or fatter? Fatter
c. richer or poorer? Poorer
10. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Photography
Cooking
Swimming
Seeing friends
11. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eating
Wasting time
12. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Moving my mother into a good care home
Retirement
Starting hypnotherapy
13. What was your biggest failure?
Putting weight back on when I’d been slowly losing it
14. How many one-night stands?
None
15. What was your favourite TV program?
I watch so little TV I really haven’t got a clue
16. What was the best book you read?
Brad Warner; Sex, Sin and Zen
Ben Goldacre; Bad Science
17. What did you want and get?
New digital SLR camera
Amazon Kindle
18. What did you want and not get?
New bathroom
£1M
19. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
£1M – it won’t solve all the problems but it won’t half help you cope with them
20. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Nude when possible, clothed when necessary
21. What kept you sane?
Noreen
Hypnotherapy
22. Who did you miss?
Surprisingly some former colleagues
23. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:
Life happens, deal with it
24. A quote or song lyric that sums up your year:
Chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought. It always defeats order, because it is better organised. [Terry Pratchett]
No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. [unknown]
Mr Spock … We’re trapped in an eerie, brain numbing madhouse! Any answers? [unknown]
25. Your hopes for 2011
– Successful Anthony Powell conference in September
– Catch up with the backlog of Anthony Powell Society work
– Achieve financial security for life (well I can dream!)
– More sex
– Less depression
– Lose weight
– Be a better husband
– Society normalises sex and nudity rather than being disgusted/frightened by it