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Coffee House => Coffee House Boards => CH / General => Topic started by: smithy on December 21, 2004, 04:57:59 PM
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This thread is all about your year.
We're reaching the end of of 2004. A new year is usually the time that people stop and reflect upon their lives, review the past year, decide what went well and what didn't, and make plans about the shape of their lives over the next year.
So I'd thought it be a nice idea if we all shared our year!
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Fine, thank you. How was yours?
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I've had a very turbulent year. I moved house in early January back into my parents' place in anticipation of getting a new job I'd applied for in London with Symbian. Didn't get the job after a bad interview, unfortunately, and I'm still living with my folks. Decided to focus on my existing job and put any leftover creative talents in the web browser Paihia, and went backpacking in New Zealand by myself... after which the year started to go downhill from there. Met my current girlfriend, went to Copenhagen, later diagnosed with high blood pressure (190/100 at one point) and depression and prescribed Prozac, went to Prague, went to Berlin.
Prozac on its own is barely effective any more so I regularly top it up with plenty of alcohol. Today, now with the added stress of commitment-phobia, feeling smothered, paranoia, the depression gets me down a lot, and at the moment I don't have the self-confidence to go backpacking down under again.
The high-point is probably accepting that I suffer from depression, the low point is suffering from depression.
So, my plans for the coming year are:
1. Get off the Prozac.
2. At the same time as (1), join a gym, and use that as the source of my happy-brain-chemicals, so I don't lose the benefits I do get from Prozac. Hopefully this might increase my sex drive and prevent my blood pressure from re-going through the ceiling too.
3. Keep working on Paihia.
4. Get my own place again.
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@Smithy:
I've had a very turbulent year.
Sounds like it mate.
I moved house in early January back into my parents' place
Not easy. I could never go back to my parents' now.
Didn't get the job after a bad interview, unfortunately, and I'm still living with my folks.
I know how that feels too but this year I had an even weirder experience.
I had an interview in July for a different position at work. I really prepared for it and it went really well.
Then I got a letter telling me that, although I had passed the interview, due to funding cuts they couldn't take me on.
"If this changes within the next six months you will be offered the post immediately. If funding arrives after six months, you will be required to go through the selection process again."
Apparently they'll be getting funding in April. :-/
went backpacking in New Zealand by myself...
That sounds fantastic.
after which the year started to go downhill from there. Met my current girlfriend,
Hope she ain't reading this. ;-)
Anyway, good luck with getting a new pad and off the drugs.
I've had a mixed year, I suppose.
Financially, it's been a disaster. Until this year I had two people sharing my house.
Both moved out, taking their rent with them.
On the flip side, I have the place to myself now and have moved my studio into a bigger room.
Still with the same girl, DJing in the same club and writing songs with the same guy.
Still as terrible at the guitar as I was last year (I think I've plateaued at 'pish' :-D)
Don't really have many plans for next year other than reducing my debt and hopefully getting a demo together.
All the best,
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I don't know about how nice it would be, so let me practice the mother's golden rule.
Suffice to say that 2004 has been the worst year of my life, actually starting December 2003, but lasting throughout the year.
I sincerely hope each of your years were better than mine, and they continue to get better with each passing day.
Happy Holidays.
Wayne
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2004... The Most boring year of my life so far... I expect worse to come.
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How was 2004 for you?
Acceptable
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Last dec I was nauseous EVERY single day. And I mean Every day. I'm not going into the details but it was bad and the best thing about this dec is that I'm not sick to my stomach.
I know this sounds all cryptic, but people's privacy is more important.
It's been a hard year, but at least I was able to get a little work - and more importantly - respect.
At least I can say I've had a good life and while I doubt anything good will ever happen again, I have no regrets.
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My year has been wierd to put it mildly. I changed from working double to a normal 9-5 job. Quite a change, both financially, and considering the vast ammount of spare time I now have.
Short version: It was fine, thanks, how was yours?
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Ah well, there were good parts of this year, considering summer and so, with all kinds of activities, like:
New age spirituality (http://www.our-house.nl/images/zm22_jpg.jpg)
sabotage (http://www.our-house.nl/images/zm18_jpg.jpg)
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Very productive. Finally finished my Bachelor's degree, a long term goal. Working full time and being the sole support for a family does not leave a lot of time for pursuing an education. But somehow I finished it up with 214 credit hours. (I have many interests.) I found out that my company is giving me the opportunity to seek employment elsewhere after 15 years. I expect this to be positive. The job did a lot of good for me, but it is time to move on to better things. I have started reading my 20 year old college Chemistry texts for fun. ( For which I blame Karlos, KennyR, and Cymric. :-D ) And I got my guitar restrung so I can afflict my wife and kids with very amateur renditions of old John Denver songs. Oh yeah, I also got acquainted with a great group of people at Amiga.org - a very rewarding experience.
2004? I wouldn't have missed it! Looking forward to next year. :-)
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Yeah, 2004 was an odd year. Over all, I think it was better then 2003. Well, in 2003 the only highlight was that I had a wicked time in Vancouver. This year I went on no trips but instead I:
1) Watched Greece with the Euro cup. :-D :pint:
2) Watched Greece host the Olympics. :-D :pint:
3) Watched Canada win the World Cup Of Hockey. :-D :pint:
4) I got a real computer programmer job. :-D :pint: :pint:
5) After being laid off for two years I'm finally able to actually buy stuff! :-D :pint: :pint: :pint:
6) Got to watch family members and friends go through a divorce. :-(
7) Now that I have a job & money, I'm getting ready to move out and not live with my parents any longer! :-D :-D :pint: :pint: :pint: :pint: :pint: :pint:
Plans for 2005.... Getting myself laid! :-P
- Mike
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Apart from backpacking in New Zealand, pish. Broke up with my (very) long term g/f about six weeks ago... just in time for Christmas.
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Glaucus wrote:
Plans for 2005.... Getting myself laid! :-P
- Mike
Well, I wish you succes getting a nice gf and so :pint:
I'm planning to get my P (well, I'm busy with my 2nd kinda study Technical Informatics)
And I'm trying to become a good singer (classical)
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2004? Not more a rollercoaster year has been experienced in the life of the troll known a Jono Pike:
Started slowly, as was out of work, and unsuccessfully trying to get a girl interested in me. Had a paper folding job (local gov) for a week, but that was it.
By late Feb, had got a really good job with an architects department in local gov, doing photocopying and whatnot, on a good wage, and really liked it there.
That was going well, until in early April, made a stupid move towards the girl that was rejected. The week after, my boss told me they would have to get rid of me because there wasn't enough stuff for me to do. Worst few days I may have ever had.
Late Spring and early Summer was quite tough. Had no money coming in and was only really kept going by having fun with friends.
By late July, got a job at a solicitors. Not bad at first, but really grew to hate it after about 5 weeks. They were sick of me, and I was sick fo them, so I was sacked.
Since I was sacked from Stones, my lifes been on the up. Got a job with local gov (AGAIN) doing data input. That lasted 6 weeks, but they had to get rid of me for reasons I am not aware of. 3 days after my latest job departure, I was called up by ANOTHER local gov department:
I was only supposed to be working there for a week, but, lo and behold, a month of work later, and I am on a 6 month contract. Whilst at this job, finally got over my girl-curse, and got a girlfriend through a double date.
I'm so lucky I got who I got. I can realistically say I could not have wished for a better girlfriend :-) . I just hope she doesn't get sick of me.
So, 2004? Full of the unexpected. What I thought would happen did not, and what I didn't think of happening, happened. :-o
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2004?
I had better, but I'm still alive and in one piece, so not too bad all said. On the plus side, well, I got a job that actually stimulates my mind, even if not my wallet :lol:
I am going to hopefully get a raise soon (or a reduction in hours for the same pay which will allow me to invest time looking for something better).
@Wayne
I really hope that downward slope changes direction soon.
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Its been a weird one. Got jobs then quit em due to depression, almost got a great girl but ended up losing a good friend instead. Went back to college which im screwing up as usual because i dont see the point. Friends keep using me as a shoulder to cry on which i dont mind as such but it puts me in weird positions sometimes (currently in what seems to be a VERY weird and ucomfortable position). Despite all of this and the fact i have no money, no job(damn those higher calibre applicants) and no prospects that i can see im actually reasonably happy at the moment. Hoping to find some direction in 2005 though.
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What club do you DJ at wilse? I may have been there.
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Speelgoedmannetje wrote:
And I'm trying to become a good singer (classical)
you are certainly a genius at wearing hats!
:-D
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2004 has been a true disaster for me too.
Around June I was still in Surrey, England and got sick of still sending my CV to potential employers for a decent programming job... The project I was doing from distance for my ex-employer (a greek company) has been finished, so no money! I finally moved back to my family home and started working in my dad's shop, getting verbaly abused by my brother on daily basis, and generally being miserable and feeling suicidal.
PPL I loved and thought of them as friends have changed, the bad way, and I find myself anable to get along with them any more. Some of them I knew for 6-7 years... and finally the last nail in the coffin... on February I'm gonna have to do my military service! It is obligatory and there is no sane way to get out of it. Its gonna be 12 hard months. 2005 is gonna suck too! :-(
--Edit: I forgot to add, while I was in the UK, my longtime girlfrind dumped me and then I found out she was cheating on me with an R&B club DJ.... I mean for fOOcks sake, an R&B DJ?!?
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cecilia wrote:
At least I can say I've had a good life and while I doubt anything good will ever happen again, I have no regrets.
I'm sorry that you feel that nothing good will happen in your life again Cecilia, but I sincerely hope you have a peaceful holiday and will find some happiness in the new year.
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My 2004? It's been a very mixed year and not one of my best for many reasons, yet I think I'll look back on the last 12 months with fond memories.
The day I've been dreading since I was 19 dawned on the 13th April when I turned 30. That weekend I had some epic birthday celebrations, and behaved suitably badly. I woke up on the day of my 30th with a very wry smile on my face, and more importantly a renewed eargerness to experience the next 10 years.
I lost my beloved cat, who was truly my best friend. I'm still sad about it today and sometimes shed a tear for him when I think about him. Poor Leonard is sorely missed.
I had a very eventful year with my love life, spending far too long in the mistaken hope that I could be of some comfort to a very troubled female friend who turned out to be a lost cause. To say she had "issues" would be a chronic understatement, but I stupidly believed I could make a difference, but only dragged myself further down in the process. She later dropped a bombshell on me when I needed it the least, I finally realised just how troubled she was when it was far too late...
I threw myself into the dating scene with gusto and had some hilarious experiences, several of which have been posted here. It was all good, clean and innocent fun though and I'm glad to have made a few friends in doing so.
Last July at my best mate's wedding I bumped into an old female aquaintance of mine, who I'd always had a soft spot for but never once thought I stood a chance with. We stayed in touch since and spent a lot of time together before we both realised we had feelings for each other and I'm happy to report we're still seeing each other now. I have to say that she's sensitive, charming, intelligent and very, very pretty too. Not quite sure what she sees in me though...
I also managed to blow a small fortune on my MTB. The kitty is now valued at £2,750 total spend including bike, clothing, shoes etc. I still manage to ride like a complete numpty though.
Lastly, my seasonal SAD malaise struck me with a vengence just as Autumn dawned and the daylight hours grew shorter. As a result my motivation, immune system, physical fitness and general outlook have suffered accordingly. Just as SAD was taking hold, George W was elected for another four years...
So it's back down the gym to compensate.
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Good: Qualified as an accountant after five years of study.
Bad: Got Divorced.
Good: Changed Job.
Bad: Paid a HUGE amount in maintenance.
Good: Met a fantastic new woman.
Bad: She's still with her live-in b/f - and keeps telling me she plans to get rid of him but gives no dates.
Plus a multitude of other kinds of sh*t have happened - too much to go into.
But here's hoping 2005 is MUCH better for us all :pint: :pint:
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Good: Birth of my Son
Bad: Changing the above's nappies ;-)
Good: Realising how many good people there are here
Bad: Realising that not all their lives are that great atm
Good: managing to stay online
Bad: Blowing up yet another computer
Good: Becomming an Editor for the Zetanews website
Bad: Giving up the above due to personal reasons.
All in all a mixed year but a reasonable one
@ Cecilia
All I can say is this: Don't give up hope - closing your mind to possibilities is a slow death, trust me, I know what I'm talking about on this. If you want to talk you can PM me or email me at theleander @ supanet.com . I can't garuntee anything, but that I'm a good listener.
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@Turambar:
I DJ at Chakra, at the Soundhaus:
http://www.soundhaus.co.uk/index.html?module=event&cmd=view&event_id=82
It's the last Saturday of every month.
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@ the_leander
ah, you guys are swell :love:
don't worry about me. every dog has his day and while my best years may be behind me, I'm not dead yet and there's still things I can do. (Just this week I made my famous Chocolate Mousse for my family for xmas since I can't afford to buy anything. Trust me, it's great! So fluffy it needs a lid to keep in the bowl and not floating away.):angel:
I've been collecting family info so I can put it together for my nephew in a DVD or something (still working on the details here.)
And a friend of mine - who is a terrific writer - is trying to get another play done in Pine Bluff AR (of all places) and wants me to help out for a couple of weeks. Of course people are busy begging and scrounging for money. So I'd only be doing this to help out a buddy and just 'cause it would be fun.
And, of course, I have no idea where my next dime is coming from but that's not unusual for a freelance career. I'm just getting too tired to be tilting at windmills.
I have to say that if it wasn't for the internet I wouldn't have this kind of social intercourse and I really enjoy and appreciate what I can share here. Enjoy the holidays, everybody! :mickeymouse:
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hehe
You sound like yer in yer 60's! Yee gads woman ;-)
tilting at windmills?
Heh, some of your posts have been trully awe inspiring, so thankyou as well :-)
And a very merry Xmas to you too :-D
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awe... would you two get a room already!?! ;-)
- Mike
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:roflmao:
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@Speel
I didn't know you were a vocalist! What's your tessitura? (tenor, Baritone, counter-tenor, etc...)??
Let's see...
Good things this year ummmm.....Got out of horrific apartment with terribly annoying drunkard roommates, moved into nice place w/ boyfriend.
I'm the only person in my school to get through all music theory and musicianship classes with straight A's
I've had more than enough singing jobs and people are starting to know me around the area.
...bad stuff: I spent six months living with horrific drunkard roommates in a disgusting apartment...
Music theory has sucked all time away from everything else in life...
Almost all of the work I've had has been singing Italin art songs...I hate singing in Italian.
There, that about sums it up. :-D
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2004 was mostly {bleep}ing {bleep}. There were some good moments. But on the whole it was {bleep}ing {bleep}. In fact I'm writing off the last 6 years as {bleep}ing {bleep}.
2005 will be the year :-D I mean I just met Jo.. I hit 25 this Tuesday.. stuff apparently sorts itself out when you hit 25. Im down to my fighting weight 231lbs when I was 330lbs. Ive gone self employed - earning {bleep} all at the moment but it will pick up.
Also speaking to Jo's grandmother who is in her late 70's, and of German birth it kinda puts things into perspective. She has had some of the most abhorant and truely disgusting things done to her, by german, british, american and russian soldiers - yet she has an amazing outlook on life.
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@Wain,
Some of my favorite people in the world have been drunkards! I wish you a very prosperous and peaceful 2005.
@Cecilia,
As I said, I sincerely hope your 2005 proves you wrong, you've been a most entertaining poster here and I never tire of reading what you have to say.
A.org would be a much poorer place without you.
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Bobsonsirjonny wrote:
2004 was mostly {bleep}ing {bleep}. There were some good moments. But on the whole it was {bleep}ing {bleep}. In fact I'm writing off the last 6 years as {bleep}ing {bleep}.
Me too! The last 6 years sucked! 6 years exactly!
Something happened to the universe 6 years ago, and this branch of existance we currently expierence as "reality" is the WRONG one. The correct "right" universe is located on a tangent that branched off from a series of events sometime around February 1998 and exists parallel to this false reality that has befallen us.
Current hardships can be brushed off as unimportant seeing as they are happening in the wrong universe, and therefore arn't "real."
Well, this theory has gotten me through the past 6 crappy years anyway. ;-)
(now we just have to figure out how to leave this fake reality for the real one existing somewhere parallel to us, any ideas? :-))
Who needs antidepressants when you've got theoretical physics?
(or would this be better described as "Denial?")
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smithy wrote:
This thread is all about your year.
We're reaching the end of of 2004. A new year is usually the time that people stop and reflect upon their lives, review the past year, decide what went well and what didn't, and make plans about the shape of their lives over the next year.
So I'd thought it be a nice idea if we all shared our year!
Thanks for asking this question.
My one word answer would be, 'Crap'.
My financial situation has worsened, along with my state of mind, I've suffered as a result of illness and death in my family. I've struggled to find my 'way'....
But on Christmas day I cried, and took a good hard look at my life. Despite the fact that I have two university degrees, I have been unable to find a decent job. I have decided to abandon my pursuit of money (I still have a lot of debt from university and haven't felt like I've had a 'home' in years) and concentrate on my dreams....
I've wanted to be a writer for years and I am going to pursue that wholeheartedly. To do some high-powered job might bring me nice clothes, a nice car and other material trappings, but I believe my destiny, if there is such a thing, is to write.
I should be going to France in February on a work placement, and I'll see how that goes. If not, I'll scrape the money together to travel, as I'm truly happy when I'm travelling, and I find it hard to be happy at any other time.
I've got friends in Poland, Lithuania and Estonia that I could visit. I have always dreamed of seeing the USA. I'd love to see Sarajevo as well. I'd like to return to Berlin and maybe spend a bit of time in Paris. I learned Russian at university, so I could always go to Russia for the hell of it. I find the joy of exploring new cultures takes my mind off everything else...
Oh, the other thing, is I want to just say {bleep} it and get off my arse and do some of things I love...
I'd like to have singing lessons, learn to dance properly (possibly Salsa if I can persuade one of the girls I know to come with me :)), and all manner of other things I can't think of right now.
I hope all of you have a wonderful 2005.
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Wain wrote:
@Speel
I didn't know you were a vocalist! What's your tessitura? (tenor, Baritone, counter-tenor, etc...)??
Bass, and probably I can do tenor (or even counter-tenor) too :crazy:
But I'm just beginning, began this year actually :-)
I'm the only person in my school to get through all music theory and musicianship classes with straight A's
I've had more than enough singing jobs and people are starting to know me around the area.
Congrats!! :pint: :pint: :pint:
Almost all of the work I've had has been singing Italin art songs...I hate singing in Italian.
My tongue gets into a knot when trying to sing Italian :lol:
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I mean I just met Jo..
Hey hey :-) I just met a great gal too, anyone else get loved up over the holiday season?
Robert
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2004 was a great year for me:
- I bought my first house.
- my wife is pregnant expecting our fist child (due any day between now and mid January).
- promotion at work.
- a trip to syria which was a fantastic experience and really opened my eyes (in a good way :-D ) to what's important in life.
Here's hoping that 2005 brings happiness to all!!! :-D
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cecilia wrote:
Speelgoedmannetje wrote:
And I'm trying to become a good singer (classical)
you are certainly a genius at wearing hats!
:-D
heh, thanks :-)
(or is it kinda a metaphor :inquisitive:)
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2004 was just plain awful as was 2003, so here is to a good 2005.