My New Year's Resolutions, and retrospective on my year

This was without a doubt the best photo of my year. My birthday, 5th March 2010

With New Year rapidly approaching, I've been giving a great deal of thought recently to how my year has gone, and also to the resolutions which I feel I should make. Hopefully, if I write them down in a place I can access again then I will have more of a chance at sticking with them.

I think I'll start with my retrospective first:

University

University has been...very interesting for me this year. I began last January as a relatively naive fresher, and ended it as a much more experienced second year student. I consider university to be a constant journey. Every day I spend there is another step on that journey.

Snowflake Ball with Besma

I had a rude awakening when I failed my court reporting assignment. Looking back on it, I can see why I failed it. It was an elementary error - and I realised why I got the grade that I did when I look back on it. It made me realise that university isn't plain sailing. In fact, it can be very hard at times. I'm actually quite glad I got the grade I did. It's improved my work ethic no end.

My degree course was wildly different to what I imagined it would be when I graduated. Don't get me wrong, I love my course but I sometimes worry that I give myself too much work. I work for Bullet magazine, Siren FM and the Student's Union.

My publicity photo

Ah, that. The SU has been a...big part of my life. I can't say that I've made the best start of it, because I can compare it to wandering around in a thick fog. There was nothing to go on beforehand, and nothing to compare achievements to. I am, however, confident that I am trying my hardest. Unfortunately, petty politics is such an easy thing to be drawn in to :(

It gives me such pride to wear the SU hoodie, and I genuinely love being able to help other students.


So yeah, I think I have given myself too much work. I'm working far too many 10 hour days and I always seem to wander around stressed! Not so much fun.

Men

Or lack thereof. I can't say that side of things has been as successful as I would have hoped. Try as I might, I just can't seem to find someone that I actually think "I'd like to spend a lot more time with them". Part of me is too...picky.

Henry's beach themed party

I began this year in the only relationship I have had whilst at university. Whilst it was a bit of a failure, it did teach me that being in a relationship isn't actually the be all and end all. I've also come to the realisation that I am far too busy to be tied down with people.

This was more than demonstrated by the time I spent with the lovely James Briscoe this summer. We were talking on MSN one day and it suddenly occurred to each other than we both secretly liked each other, but we were both far too shy to admit it.

James Briscoe and I, drunken times!

It led to a whirlwind summer romance, and I bonded with him so quickly - but it didn't last. We both knew he was too busy to make it work, what with him flying away so often. I can remember crying an awful lot when he came to visit for Lincoln Pride. I've never felt so alone as I did that night when the realisation finally came to a head that it wouldn't happen. Thankfully, we are still wonderful friends and I am glad I got to know him better, he's such a lovely chap. Another side of me also thinks that there isn't someone in Lincoln.

"The guy with a gramophone instead of an iPod"

I'm the crazy eccentric. The guy with a gramophone instead of an iPod. The lanky man. People call me a gentleman - but I have yet to find a man who likes that, which is a bit of a shame really. I do hope the adage "good things come to those who wait" is indeed true

Friends

This year I have been more than fortunate enough to meet so many new and amazing people, and I am really glad that I have done so. I still have awful problems remembering names though. I can tell everyone by their face - but quite a lot of the time I will talk to people for about 10 minutes before I remember their names. Not something I'm desperately proud of, I perhaps need to work on that more for the next year!

Crystal liked this photo ;-)

Unfortunately I can also say for certain that I've made a good few enemies too. Whilst I try to be a likable enough person, I've quickly come to the realisation that you can't please everyone all of the time, as much as I would like to. I never go out of my way to be nasty to people, but unfortunately arguments happen. Here's hoping that I won't have any arguments at all in 2011!

New Year's Resolutions

• To achieve something in the SU I can look back on and be proud of
• To get a 2:1 or above for this year
• To sort out working in America
• To make a profit selling some gramophone records
• To buy some more gramophone records ;)
• To get a new look. My hair doesn't go with the hoodies I currently wear, so the hoodies are going!
• To stop procrastinating, and push myself in all that I do. I know I can achieve.
  
• To meet new people
• To learn to enjoy myself some more. I'm far too prudish and I can admit that.
  
• I was tempted to put "find a boyfriend" but that's unlikely to happen, so I'll stick this at the end as an "added bonus"
  

Country Living...

The view from my sister's room, Jonathan Holmes

"Oh heck, the toilet's clogged up!!" weren't exactly the first words I wanted to hear when I woke up this morning.

I was expecting to hear the sounds of silence, the stillness that surrounds the countryside. Unfortunately things don't always happen like that. Cue the long trapse over to next door's obscenely large house to use their bathroom.

It was at this point that the owner's sister came out, and I had to make small talk to a complete stranger with awful bed hair.

Aside from this, I've rather enjoyed these past few days out in the middle of nowhere. From the obvious things like no traffic, and a lovely snowy landscape there's other things that I've picked up on which you miss out on living in a city.

• The ability to leave your doors unlocked - this house is a mile from the nearest village, nobody simply walks past to steal things at night.
• Having a fire! It's so much fun stoking it and adding logs to it - and there's nothing like an open fire to warm a room up
• The locals attitude. People even say hello and wave to passing cars
• The wildlife. The birds are literally chirping outside, there's the most adorable dogs roving around, rabbits, pheasants - the lot

However, there are a few things that I don't miss

• The ability to walk to your local shop
• Having friends nearby
• Being warm when I wake up! Whilst the fire is great, it goes out after 2 hours. Since it powers the central heating, at night time this isn't fun!
• Having relatively young people near you

Last night was a lovely experience. We went for dinner in the local pub. Whilst the food was simply divine, I much preferred what came after. We went round to the lounge next door and began a game of dominoes with the locals.


Photo: Kirsty Johnson

The game was headed up by Chris, the lovable blind man who kept coming out with quips like "are you sure you're not cheating because I can't see what you're doing?" and "I'll believe you - but only because I can't see to tell if you're lying or not!"

Chris headed up the game, "chicken feet". Although I didn't win, I actually loved the experience. It was so stereotypical and clichéd but it was real - I drank Yorkshire ale (5 Wold Rings), in a local pub, playing dominoes with some people I'd never met but treated me as if they'd known me for years.

The house: Jonathan Holmes

Because this community is so remote, everyone is so friendly - they offer to go to the shops for you, drive you around (since 2 wheeled drive cars don't do so well up here) and invite you to village socials.

I've decided when I am rich, powerful and famous (in that order) I would like to retire here.

Oh, and did I mention the adorable dog that sits outside our house?

Photo: Jonathan Holmes

Christmas time (and the million and one things that come with it)

Blimey, Christmas time seems to come earlier and earlier every year.

I've not given that much thought to this year's Christmas festivities, which is a rather unsual thing for me. Given the amount of work that I've been doing this December the thought of Christmas, presents (and other cheesy stereotypes that come to mind) haven't occured to me.


Photo: Luise

I'm going to make a bit of a personal admission now - one which I'm not desperately proud of. I've not bought ANY Christmas presents yet. In fact, I only just posted my cards yesterday. With my workload more than ever, it does upset me a little bit. This is the time of year I'm meant to be relaxing and forgetting about university life - yet with the closure of the University for 5 days and the snow which didn't actually go anywhere (and I anticipate it to be there when we return from Derby) I just sat at home and kept warm! Oh, and then there was the mass of work to catch up on!


Photo: Simon "Kelp" Keeping

Things weren't helped when the Christmas market was cancelled. I've ended up asking for people's lists of what they require because unfortunately university work is coming over enjoying myself at the moment.

Let's hope it doesn't always stay like this...

What a day! Free creme brulée and being stranded...

Blimey - to say the past day was hectic is a bit of an understatement.

It all began when *cue hazy music* Lincoln Christmas Market was cancelled. I had arranged for the lovely Mark to come and visit so that I could show him round (and finally buy him a long overdue dinner)

What happens in the news this week? The market was cancelled. Urgh. I don't think the word "upset" quite covered how I felt.


Photo: the noggin_nogged

Never fear though! Mark very kindly agreed to drive me to Leeds for the Leeds Christmas Market to make amends for it.

So he arrived last night, and we drove out of Lincolnshire. I must ask you at this point to keep in mind the fact that all the roads were perfectly fine.

Leeds Christmas Market was wonderful! I managed to get my SU Secret Santa present sorted out, had a good browse round all the lovely German stores (and even saw the butch BBC Look North sports lady doing a 2 way from the scene)

On an interesting sidenote, we met a lovely -albeit tipsy- lady in the queue for the cash machine. "I've been in the hog roast since 2pm" was the first thing she said. It transpired over the course of our conversation that her son was planning to propose to his girlfriend, and that we were the first people she had told.

I find it impossible that her or her son will read this, but I'd like to wish them well. Her story warmed me so much in the cold :)

We then went for dinner, which I paid for as a thank you to Mark for driving me all this way. Dinner was extra nice because some morons forgot to charge us for dessert. We went back to Marks house, watched the Muppets (and some godawful film that Mark swore was good when he was 7) and went to bed.


Photo: Joe Penniston

All was nice and rosy with the world.

Fast forward to this morning. We woke up and set off back to Lincolnsire. Once again, Mark had very kindly agreed to drive me back. We just arrived in to Lincolnshire only to find out the A15 was closed. At this point a string of expletives rang out from the car.

So the satnav set us off down this other route - which turned out to be too snowed in to get past. We had to face it - it was looking rapidly like I would be spending another night with him. I was frantically googling various train routes from Scunthorpe (which we were at this point passing) before I suggested that he drop me off at my Grandparents.


Photo: Andrew Harvey-Adams

I got out in Doncaster and had a lovely lunch with them - it was nice to see them once again :) I then: set off from Doncaster, got the bus to the station, the train to Newark and the train to Lincoln. Thankfully those lines were running (otherwise I'd be truly stuffed)

I got back tired and wet - but very thoughtful. Whilst we were discussing things at the dinner table in the restaurant, Mark said he thought that I showed unwillingness to change myself (citing my conservative dress sense as an example).

It did get me thinking a lot, and it was one of those things that you deep down know, but don't want to admit. Long story short, I've taken onboard parts of his advice, and I'm going to try to change the way I am and behave for Christmas.

Because let's face it - everyone thinks of me as an 80 year old man, no matter how politely they may try to disguise it.


Photo: Jerry Wong