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I've been dormant on this site for a while. Why? Well, apart from the usual reasons (do I need to list them again? really?), my love-life has been a total disaster this year.
Then, three weeks before Xmas my burgeoning friendship with ADP took a bit of a sea-change. A pretty dramatic one. Most unexpectedly, I find myself with a new partner in all the crimes of passion I can possibly imagine.
1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
Published. Presented work internationally. Gave my first two-hour lecture. Marking. Squirting? Was that 2011? I think it was.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
My last NY resolution was to be less anti-social. I've definitely managed that with aplomb.
This year:
• Continue to get fitter and aim to run half-marathon for Alzheimers Research later in 2012.
• Join proper good early music/madrigal choir.
• Publish in 'high impact' journal in my field. I know I can do it.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yup. Lovely B and E gave birth to Izzy. Have sent copies of all my favourite kids' books.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
Belgium. I went conferencing in Flanders in September. Met some brilliant people, drank the city dry of Jenever, was absolutely gobsmacked to find myself in front of this. Just incredible. Had a fantastic time.
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
More sex. A lot more. No major relationship clusterfucks and lies would be lovely. I'm reasonably happy with Career Achievements from 2011. More of the same, really.
7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
17th June. Quite honestly one of the most traumatic, awful evenings of my life.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Publishing article. Doing terrifying media work. Getting undergrads all excited about gender and crime and stuff. Also, managing to give a heavily theoretical paper on 2 hours sleep and 12 hours of booze-fuelled partying was pretty impressive even by my lofty standards.
9. What was your biggest failure?
My inability to keep the sadist from going into total shutdown. Again.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not really. Right now I've managed to sprain both my right wrist and elbow by running down a flight of stairs in great excitement and falling flat on my face.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Hmm. Well, travel wasn't my money, mostly. I didn't buy books (what else is my multiple library membership for?). My most favourite item of clothing purchased in 2011 was a pair of brown leather shorts. Yes, really.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
T, for being the best partner I could wish for, for dealing with some pretty heavy family shit, and pulling me through the couple of months of severe depression
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
J's.
14. Where did most of your money go?
rent. bills. champagne?
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
GHENT! A really brutal scene the sadist and I planned for weeks that subsequently went badly wrong. My first and second dates with ADP, only a couple of weeks ago. Now I'm excited about date no. 3.
16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
This. My favourite song of the year: Azealia Banks - 212 ft. Lazy Jay
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder?
Wiser, therefore happier.
ii. Thinner or fatter?
Thinner.
iii. richer or poorer?
Richer! Slightly.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
travelling, fucking, violence.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Being so invested in my own failure and self-loathing that I forgot I'm sort of alright. Better now.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Spent it with T for the very first time in York, just the two of us. Due to strained circumstances, but we still had a beautiful day.
23. How many one-night stands?
I had one! I had one! Though does it count if you've known them nearly 10 years?
24. What was your favourite TV program?
I absolutely loved Holy Flying Circus, the semi-biopic of Monty Python. Enjoyed Black Mirror, though still think Charlie Brooker's best work is his journalism. Also really rated Appropriate Adult, the drama about Fred and Rose West.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nah. Just more eye-rolling.
26. What was the best book you read?
Two immediately spring to mind, both work related, and neither came out this year. Firstly, 'Our Dark Side: A History of Perversion' by Elisabeth Roudinesco. Also, Foucault's 'Abnormal: Lectures at the College de France 1974 - 1975'. "game changers" both. Fiction-wise has to be Jonathan Franzen's 'Freedom'.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
2011 has sucked music-wise, in my opinion, other than for pop, and even then it's been a bit banal. There hasn't been a single guitar-band album of any kind I've liked so much I've listened to it obsessively, despite new releases from Wild Beasts, Bon Iver, Girls and Panda Bear, though of course I loved PJ Harvey's 'Let England Shake'. There were a couple of tracks from the War on Drugs album I quite liked ('Your Love Is Calling My Name'), Kurt Vile's 'Smoke Rings for your Halo' is good, the Yuck album is good (especially 'Holing Out'), there's a song by Tropic of Cancer that's a bit magic called 'Colors', and 'Marked' from the EMA album blows me away, though that might be a result of the context in which I first heard it.
28. What did you want and get?
No rejection letters of any kind.
29. What was your favourite film of this year?
Of those I've seen, I think it might have to be Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Really good year for film, though not for horror film, it seems (tips welcome).
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 28. I went to a surprisingly interesting seminar on archival research and then hopped on a train to York for a sumptuous birthday dinner and fizz with T.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
SHORTS. I discovered they really suit my body worn with ankle boots/chunky heels, so I bought about four pairs. Also, generally both a bit more late 60s/early 70s, and sluttier.
34. What kept you sane?
T. Work.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Mark Kermode.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The riots.
37. Who did you miss?
the sadist.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Oooh, tough one! Am not sure I met anyone new in 2011 I've subsequently become close to that I hadn't met before, but ADP and I certainly met 'properly' this year and I think he has to go to the top of the list, really.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011:
Expect respect from anyone who supposedly holds you dear.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
IMMA RUIN YOU CUNT.
Edited Fri 30 Dec 11, 10:03 PM by verte
